MDARD Partners with MIFMA to Launch Farmers to Markets Program

Guaranteed sales and custom marketing assistance will support farmers, increase Michiganders' access to local foods

Lansing, Mich. - Today, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and the Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) announced a new Farmers to Markets program to help boost farmers' sales at local markets and increase community access to Michigan-grown foods.

"The Farmers to Markets program will strengthen regional food systems by supporting reliable season-long sales for Michigan farmers market vendors, reducing risks associated with new market entry while promoting sales of local agriculture products," said MDARD Director Tim Boring. "By building vendor capacity at participating markets, we can give Michigan families more access to nutritious, locally grown foods throughout the market season. This program will be a win-win for Michigan's hardworking growers and vendors and Michiganders who prioritize knowing where their food comes from."

Through Farmers to Markets, MDARD will invest up to $492,000 to increase the number of farmer vendors at community-driven marketplaces throughout Michigan. MDARD and MIFMA will use these funds to provide direct support to vendors experiencing barriers to market entry or participation.

"As an organization that supports community-driven marketplaces where farmers connect directly with their consumers, we often get asked the classic chicken-and-egg question: which do you need to invest in first, attracting customers or recruiting and retaining farmers and vendors to create and sustain marketplaces," said MIFMA Executive Director Amanda Shreve. "We are excited to partner with MDARD through their Farm to Family Program to answer this question with a resounding 'both!' The Farmers to Markets program will help markets attract customers while ensuring the markets have consistent and reliable attendance from farmers who are achieving viable sales." 

The goals of MDARD's Farmers to Markets program are to:

• Support farmer vendors through consistent and reliable season-long sales at community-driven marketplaces
• Reduce risks associated with new market entry
• Provide opportunities for vendors to refine market operations
• Retain existing vendors currently experiencing low sales
• Build vendor capacity to consistently participate in specific markets
• Raise market customer counts by ensuring consistent and reliable offerings each market week
• Grow the participating markets' customer base and sales so more farmers and vendors can attend

The Farmers to Markets program will complement other innovative MDARD initiatives focused on strengthening regional food systems across the state, including the proposed FarmStart Program, the new Last Food Mile grant program and the new Good Food for Michigan Project. In its first year, MDARD's Farm to Family Program awarded more than $730,000 to support food hubs and farm stops that give Michigan producers and consumers more opportunities to sell and buy locally grown foods. So far, work completed with support from grant funding has resulted in moving over 100,000 pounds of local produce and meat and serving nearly 1,400 Michigan families. 

MIFMA was established in 2006 as a statewide association to promote local food consumption in Michigan by connecting more farmers to consumers through community-driven marketplaces like farmers markets. The number of farmers markets in Michigan has grown from around 90 in 2001 to nearly 300 today.

Interested vendors can reach out through MIFMA's website for more information about how to participate and to learn more about the ways the association supports all retail models that directly connect producers to consumers.

Visit MDARD's website for more information about efforts to improve Michigan families' access to nutritious, locally grown foods.   

###